audion

Matthew Dear’s Audion techno guise may be 10 years old now, but its latest incarnation—in a tricked-out, spherical performance pod called Subverticul—is a game-changer for how techno is presented in the live forum. We spoke with Dear from inside his vessel at Montreal’s MUTEK Festival earlier this year to get a deeper glimpse into how he performs and how this new stage setup changes it all.

Montreal’s MUTEK Festival (which partnered with the Elektra festival for this year’s EM15 presentation) is nothing if not inspiring. Whether through its scores of experimental A/Visions performances, its workshops with cutting-edge music-gear and software manufacturers, its star-packed panels and lectures, or its late-night gigs from dance music’s most respected names, there is much to get jazzed about. On our trip there last week, we caught a slew of performances, and, as is always the case, some really rose to the top. Here’s what inspired us the most.